Following the release of Captain America: Brave New World, the film’s director, Julius Onah, is responding to its less-than-stellar reception. The latest MCU outing currently sits at a 49% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a much better audience score of 80%. As such, it is fair to say the movie is divisive. Even so, Onah maintained his enthusiasm for Captain America: Brave New World during an appearance on the Phase Hero podcast.
When asked about the response to the film, Onah said, “I’m just excited to be sharing the movie with audiences. You make this for audiences to go have a great time and have a really, really good experience, and we also had a great time making this movie and worked really hard to create something that spoke to themes and ideas that were personal to us.” Instead of dwelling on how his work is perceived, the director explained that the process is simple: “At the end of the day, you make the best movie you can, you put it out there, and you let audiences react to it.“
The filmmaker further elaborated: “I’m a big believer that, when the audience finds the movie and gets the movie, it becomes theirs.” Onah “love[s] being a part of” those conversations “as a fan, too,” so he “welcome[s] [critiques] as a storyteller.”
In spite of being a divisive entry into the MCU, Captain America: Brave New World is pulling respectable numbers at the box office. As of Feb. 22, 2025, the film is sitting at around $120 million domestically and $218 million globally (via Box Office Mojo). While those totals don’t rival the likes of Avengers: Endgame, they do mean that Captain America: Brave New World has already outgrossed The Marvels‘ entire global haul.
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If box office numbers are anything to go by, Captain America: Brave New World could still be a modest success, not unlike the under-performing fan-favorite Captain America: The First Avenger, which made about $370 million in its original run (via Box Office Mojo). Onah’s perspective demonstrates an openness to criticism. This attitude is likely rooted in confidence in how the film conveyed its themes, something that the filmmaker noted many times throughout interviews leading up to its release.
Image via Marvel Studios
Given his positivity about the film, Onah seems to have a healthy relationship with criticism. It’s true that Captain America: Brave New World did not receive glowing reviews, but some audience members enjoyed the film. Not every movie, even from a franchise like the MCU, will be a universal crowd-pleaser, yet most still find their own fanbase. If Onah is proud of the themes conveyed in Captain America: Brave New World, then perhaps the overall response doesn’t matter, as long as the right audience clicks with the movie.